The direct background of the present invention is found in two prior art patents to Conklin and Mowry, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,398,605 and 4,476,687. The first is entitled "Fire Extinguishing Composition and Method"; the second, "Cooling Metal Surfaces." Their stated objectives are those of the present invention: "* * * a fire-fighting liquid that extinguishes a fire quickly and, in particular, cool[s] the fire so that the high heat generated is rapidly reduced." ('605 patent, col. 1, lines 45-48); * * * the provision of a heated surface cooling solution and method for cooling metal surface particularly structural steel elements of a petroleum rig." ('687 patent, col. 1, line 67 to col. 2, line 2).
These two patents contain a clear discussion of the prior art relevant to their patentability which is here intended to be incorporated by reference, i.e.:
Dingman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,541,010;
Nieneker, U.S. Pat. No. 3,578,590;
Francen, U.S. Pat. No. 3,772,195;
Adell, U.S. Pat No. 3,912,647;
Falk, U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,967.
Practice of the present invention achieves a dramatic improvement over the results that can actually be obtained by practicing the methods described and claimed by Conklin and Mowry in their '605 and '687 patents. This improvement can be realized to its fullest extent by utilizing two different aspects of the discoveries that underlie it. The first is in the specific novel combinations of chemical components to be used to make up the water solution concentrate which is added by the fire fighters to the water to be sprayed. The second is in the different concentration of nonionic chemicals to be included in the ultimate fire-fighting and cooling solution sprayed which is twice the maximum in % by volume of that permitted by the Conklin and Mowry disclosures.
Thus, those disclosures state:
'605 patent, col. 5, lines 29-43:
"The fire fighting solution is formed from the concentrate solution in an amount such that the fire fighting solution contains between 0.02% to 0.2% by volume of the surfactant. Preferably, the fire fighting solution would have the surfactant in the concentration of between 0.03% to 0.1% by volume. When premixed from the concentrate to the specified concentration, the pump draws in the premixed fire fighting solution.
"Concentration of this surfactant in the fire fighting solution is important in enabling the fire to be extinguished very rapidly. It has been found that the low concentration enables the fire to be smothered or choked off by a cloud generated from the fire fighting solution. The fire is extinguished more rapidly than with any other fire fighting composition."
'687 patent, col. 4, lines 1-15:
"The cooling solution is formed from the concentrate solution in an amount such that the solution contains between 0.02% to 0.2% by volume of the surfactant. Preferably, the solution would have the surfactant in the concentration of between 0.03% to 0.1% by volume. When premixed from the concentrate to the specified concentration, the pump draws in the premised cooling solution.
"Concentration of this surfactant in the cooling solution is important in enabling the heat to be absorbed very rapidly from the metal surfaces. It has been found that the low concentration enables the heat to be absorbed by a cloud generated from the cooling solution so as to more rapidly cool the metal surfaces compared to any other liquid composition."
In the present invention, on the other hand, surfactant concentration in the fire fighting solution is to be not less than 0.2% and preferably about 0.3% by volume, based on present experience. The solution may contain solutes to a total of about 25% by weight.